Soil Property and Salinity Impacts on Horsetail Growth and Population Development on Irrigation Canals and on Horsetail Management.

Project Description:
Using previous research conducted on the canals of the Leesburg system, dominant plants were identified along the canals. The research identified horsetail as a dominant species along intermittent and continuous flow canals. The research also showed that this plant is undesirable due to the interruption and slowing down of water flow resulting in wasted water that could be used for irrigation. The plan for this extended project is to regularly sample and monitor the horsetail lifecycle over a year along these canals. The plan is also to have a more controlled study in a greenhouse to determine horsetail growth and population development. The goal is to devise management strategies for the control of horsetail along the canals and ultimately inform EBID and other manages about management approaches that may be used to reduce the impact of this plant on the canals.

Project Publications

Fiore, C., Schroeder, J., Ulery, A., & Murray, L. (2008).Water use analysis of greenhouse grown weeds common on the Leasburg canal system in Dona Ana County, New Mexico [Poster and abstract]. Proceedings of the Western Society of Weed Science Conference, 61, 24.